Duion's Zion AP Player of the Year landslide



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MINNEAPOLIS – Just about everything Zion Williamson did at Duke's, created a highlight or title in a season's show.

The dunks in full swing.

The open field moves more agile than its 6-foot-7 frame and 285-lb should not allow it.

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Even the abnormal occurrence of one of his feet ripping off his shoe during a fall in court.

Dealing with all this attention has become perhaps the biggest lesson for the freshman, who has quickly become the face of college basketball and the biggest star of the game for years – and then finished well as a Male player of the year at Associated Press.

"I was comfortable with that because you do not really have a choice," Williamson said in an interview with the AP earlier this week. "I think if you try to force him out, then it's going to bother you … My mom just told me to look at it like a lot of kids would like to be in my place, so if I do not mind , I just think about it like this. "

Williamson garnered 59 of 64 votes from the top 25 AP voters before the NCAA tournament, whose results were released Friday. His freshman teammate, RJ Barrett, won two votes as teammate of the first team of the AP, while De'Ander Hunter of Virginia, Cassius Winston of Michigan State, and Ja Morant from Murray State, each got one vote.

Williamson was hoping to be in Minneapolis to prepare for Saturday's national semifinals, like Hunter and Winston. But the Blue Devils fell into the hands of the Winston Spartans in the Elite Eight as a seed in the overall standings.

"I was just saying [teammates] Do not let anyone tell you that this season has been a disappointment because people have to understand that this is the madness of March, "he said, adding," I mean, win the championship n & rsquo; Is not a casserole. "

Williamson, 18, averaged 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds in the NBA ranks, while he was second in the nation with 68 percent of the vote. He also ranked among the leaders of the Atlantic coast conference in terms of flights (2.12) and blocks (1.79).

Zion Williamson has dominated college basketball this season. AP Photo / Gerry Broome

Williamson's play was marked by a breathtaking athleticism, which ran through anyone to get the ball (watch his favorite dunk 360 degrees against Clemson or his quick closing shot of Hunter's shot at Virginia for proof).

There was also charisma. He projected assured ease amidst the rush of post-match interviews, even though Mike Buckmire was joining him regularly as a winger.

"It's remarkable, what he's done," said North Carolina coach Roy Williams, who recruited Williamson. "There were not many guys like that on the road, so the attention he had, I think he deserved … .. He drove a different ship. "

This eruption of February shoes illustrates how different it is.

Williamson missed nearly six full matches after suffering a knee injury in the fall. His left foot hit him on the side of his Nike signature shoe Paul George. The bizarre picture hurt Nike's course of action after the next day and some have argued that it should not come back to protect its professional actions.

This has never been an option for Williamson. He came back into the ACC tournament with a stiffened pair of Kyrie Irving Nikes, who followed Nike representatives visiting Duke's campus to solve what was not going well.

Unusual moments of celebrity did not stop there either.

"Cars will drive by [on campus]and I mean, they'll just stop, "Williamson said with a chuckle. In the middle of the road. And people will get out of the car and take pictures. I look at my watch, I have two minutes to go to class and my class is five minutes walk away. … I'll watch them, and they'll be so high, I thought to myself, "Yeah, I got you, I'll take the picture."

He also frequently met Duke fans waiting for autographs near the gym.

"You have 20 minutes before the timing for practice, you have 20 people on the outside," said Williamson. "You are like – I do not think I can do that." So, it comes down to: Am I saying no, or I tell them to wait?

"I've been in a lot of situations, sometimes they understood, other times, they did not really accept it, but I guess it's part of life."

Williamson said that there was "obviously a strong possibility" that he is going into the project, but he's not ready to formalize everything because he likes to be a student longer and is considering taking summer courses to obtain a degree.

Williamson said that he did not regret anything, calling this season "the most fun of my life."

"My mother was telling me:" The university is a thing not to be missed ", because not only did I enjoy the basketball side of my arrival at Duke, but I also appreciated the fact to be a student here, "Williamson said. . "The relationships I've established with the students here – like talking to children, I imagine that people would not imagine me talking to me, hanging out with them – that's more big than basketball. "

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